Expo 2020 Dubai and DEWA team up to deliver sustainable World Expo (13 March 2017)

Expo 2020 Dubai has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, DEWA, for the authority to become an Official Sustainable Energy Partner to maximise the use of clean energy and deliver a sustainable World Expo.

DEWA will provide Expo 2020 Dubai with electricity and water from October 2020 to April 2021, notwithstanding the electricity that will be generated at the Expo site, as Expo 2020 Dubai aims to have 50 percent of its power needs supplied from a variety of renewable energy sources, including ground-breaking projects of its own, such as the Sustainability Pavilion.

DEWA is working with Expo to deliver renewable energy, electricity and water projects which will enable DEWA to build an excellent electricity infrastructure that meets Dubai’s development needs.

DEWA has launched a wide variety of initiatives to support this initiative, allocating AED3 billion to projects which will be implemented according to the highest international standards.

DEWA is contributing to the development of all Expo 2020 Dubai’s facilities and services in line with the Smart Dubai initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to create the smartest city in the world.

The total cost of DEWA’s electricity projects to support Expo 2020 Dubai will be AED420 million, including the installation of three substations, called Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity, named after the subthemes of Expo 2020 Dubai.

"We share many of the common goals of DEWA, especially in the realm of sustainable energy, and it is fitting that we will be working together," said H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, commenting on the signing of the MoU.

"Together we will work on ensuring that the environmental impact of Expo is kept to the minimum possible. We have moved from the relationship of client-supplier to that of partners. This agreement opens up many opportunities as we share knowledge and experience in a joint effort to maximise our reliance on clean energy, such as solar power," Sheikh Ahmed added.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA, said the MoU with Expo 2020 Dubai was important as it supported the UAE’s strategy to increase the use of clean energy, saying, "We are working according to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, which is explained in the Dubai Plan 2021."

"This will result in Dubai having the lowest carbon footprint in the world, and advance the emirate’s position as a smart, competitive, integrated and interconnected city, with a high-tech infrastructure to boost our social and economic development, and be counted among the world’s best," he added, before concluding, "We are committed to driving sustainability, which is a major pillar for Expo 2020 Dubai. DEWA has dedicated a large part of its budget for its clean energy projects to align to the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to generate 7 percent of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy by 2020, 25 percent by 2030, and 75 percent by 2050."